HOUSEKEEPER DENIES LIMBAUGH BLACKMAIL CHARGE

The National Enquirer ^ | January 5, 2004 | DAVID WRIGHT

[Sarah]

Rush Limbaugh's longtime drug supplier Wilma Cline has angrily denied his lawyer's claim that she and her husband tried to blackmail the conservative talk show host.

Wilma, Rush's former housekeeper, spoke out as a judge in West Palm Beach, Fla., dealt Limbaugh, 53, a major blow by ruling that his medical records could be examined by prosecutors as part of an "ongoing criminal investigation."

It was the second setback for Limbaugh in 24 hours: Earlier a spokeswoman for his radio network revealed that behind the scenes his attorneys were trying to work out a plea bargain on charges of "doctor shopping" for pain pills -- a form of prescription fraud.

As the embattled radio pundit fought to keep his medical records secret, his nationally known attorney Roy Black made the stunning claim that Wilma, 42, and her husband David demanded $4 million to keep his pill addiction secret.

"Blackmail never crossed our minds -- we went to the authorities because we finally decided it was the right thing to do!" a shocked Wilma told The ENQUIRER.

And her attorney Ed Shohat told The ENQUIRER: "The Clines absolutely deny any allegation of blackmail.

"They turned over hundreds of e-mails and phone recordings to the prosecutors in which Rush Limbaugh never once referred to being blackmailed -- or even implied that there was any pressure being brought on him whatsoever.

"Rather, he was only interested in getting his hands on more pills."

The ENQUIRER revealed in a world exclusive story in October that in 2002, after Rush had been detoxed for the second time, he sent his attorney to Wilma's home to pay her the $80,000 he owed her for supplies of illegal painkillers. Four months later, Wilma told prosecutors, she was called to the attorney's office, handed another check for $100,000 -- and asked never to supply him with pills again.

"On both occasions, the attorney demanded that she sign a promissory note to make the money look like a loan," said attorney Shohat. "He claims he's being blackmailed, yet he forces the supposed blackmailers to sign a promissory note? It doesn't make sense.

"Limbaugh is desperately trying to deflect attention from what he did onto the Clines. But his own paperwork is going to refute his allegation."

-- DAVID WRIGHT

Published on: January 5, 2004

[Sarah]

oops. Hey, does holdonnow come around anymore?

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[capydick]

"Major Blow?" I thought "Major Blow" was what Roger Clinton did with his brother.

[leadpenny]

I'd say Rush has got some splainin' to do.

[Ingtar]

LOL - originally the story was that the housekeeper offered to help prosecutors in exchange for immunity. There was none of this, "coming forward as the right thing to do." It was all to avoid jail time.

[Howlin]

I'd say.


I still don't understand how he can try to make a deal BEFORE there are any charges. Is he trying to prevent the actual charges from being made public?

[Sarah]

I just hate to feel myself turning against him, but this just keeps getting uglier.
As I said in another thread, if The National Enquirer was making this up he should sue them.

[FormerLib]

Sounds like moveon.org is tossing some money around at The National Enquirer! LOL!

Yes, I know that it's hard to believe that such a presitious rag could be influenced by such a thing.

But I'm counting on the New York Slimes to quote this crap before the end of the week.

[NYCVirago]

This is an article by the Enquirer, who paid her five figures for her original story. What is she going to say -- yes, I blackmailed Rush? And I know very little about the cost of drugs, but it does appear that Wilma Cline was profiting bigtime just from selling the drugs to Rush. Why isn't Palm Beach County going after her for drug-dealing?

[newgeezer]

Rush Limbaugh.

Pete Rose.

Tsk, tsk.

[leadpenny]

Come on. The NE broke some stuff during x42's reign of terror and I don't remember anyone on this forum calling for the messenger to be shot.

[cwb]

Exactly. Something's fishy here:

"-- we went to the authorities because we finally decided it was the right thing to do!"

Yeah right...and that's why you would implicate yourself as a drug dealer? They were looking for a deal because they were on the hot seat.

[Sarah]

It's like he's going to let all this dribble out little by little.... his fans will keep along with him.... I mean of course he didn't launder money or resell these pills, it's just the ugliness of using his housekeeper. And I understand her fear of the law and her desire to save her own skin by turning Rush in. Like what should she have done, taken the fall for him?
Forget her politics, that's just normal behavior. And if he truly did use her for procuration then he deserves everything he's getting.

[Sarah]

Hey if it was such a great thing why didn't she just continue? Great side-line, only downside is the law!

[Howlin]

This is an article by the Enquirer

Who seems to be dead on this story so far.

[riri]

What is she going to say -- yes, I blackmailed Rush?

I know. And as for the email's not actually coming out and stating "The blackmail money will be there by 5pm Friday", come on.

And perhaps the blackmail was more implied. Something like "Gee, I'd hate for this to get out and have your career destroyed. Say, did I ever tell you I have a lot of financial worries..."

I don't know what the promisary note angle is. Seems like he may have thought it was some sort of CYA.

The man had-has a drug problem and many people on this board are angry that he wasn't conducting himself as a choir boy.

[Howlin]

They were looking for a deal because they were on the hot seat.

So what you're saying is that Rush is "on the hot seat," too?

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

So i guess because a drug dealer says hes guilty that hes guilty until proven Innocent huh?

No charges yet hes just guilty ?

I don't think could stand Sean Hannity for six hours a day I can barely stand Glenn Beck for 3 hours so if they railroad him into jail i hope they find someone worth listening to !

[Sarah]

You know, something about this just smells like the truth.
I think she probably did supply him willingly in the beginning (probably she felt sorry for him in pain and it was an emergency), then he probably did reimburse her for the pills and 'additional expenses' to add to her incentive to continue to get them for him.
At a certain point the risks outweighed the benefits and she realized that she'd already crossed the line between legality and illegality.
If all this is true, I'm with her.

[Burkeman1]

Yeah- I know what you mean. This is just getting messy. I am less willing to voice my support for Rush with each passing week. The irony of Rush trying to supress medical records after 8 years of criticizing the Clintons on suppression of all sorts of records including medical is not lost on me.